NowNS: Louisbourg Seafoods continually growing, evolving (Video)

Thirty-three years ago, Lori and Jim Kennedy were plant workers who lost their jobs with the collapse of northern cod fishery.

Confused and unemployed, the put together a bare-bones crew of six and started providing marine services for the various vessels that arrived in the port of Louisbourg.

“We did everything down to getting their groceries and fuel to trucking their fish,” says Lori. “And then Jim and I thought we could process the product ourselves, rather than shipping it out of the community.”

One fish plant grew to include three more, and today Louisbourg Seafoods’ employee roster includes more than 500 workers.

They have six children — most of whom work within the company — and Lori says they feel fortunate to have succeeded in creating so many opportunities in their community.

“Jimmy and I are part of the community and we invest in our community,” says Lori. “We’re not so much pocket-driven. It’s important that our employees are happy and healthy because we live here — we’re not going anywhere.”

Lori says employee development is a top priority and the company supports continuing training development. One of their biggest adjustments over the years involved keeping up with the industry’s changing technology.

“It used to be that you’d go fishing with two hands, a compass and a heartbeat,” says Lori. “Now the technology is so modern and that requires a big educational add-on. There was a huge opportunity for weather forecasting, which is very important for our company.”

Just as velcro was invented by an engineer who was fascinated by the burrs on his dog’s fur, Lori says some of the greatest inventions come from being exposed to a particular environment.

She credits species development biologist Adam Mugridge and Glen Fewer, manager of J.K. Marine Services Ltd., for understanding the kind of technology that’s needed on the ocean. Their innovative competition, Sea++ (named for the computer programming language) encourage locals to solve problems related to Cape Breton’s fishing industry.

Fewer says they recognized there was a technology community in Cape Breton that needed fuel for their fire, as well as challenges in the industry that desperately needed to be addressed.

“It was a lot of hard work putting it together, but it was very rewarding,” says Fewer. “It was a matter of exposing those issues to someone who wouldn’t normally be exposed, and innovation coming from that collision.”

Mugridge says the company is “extremely fortunate” to have such great resources and they recognize it’s their responsibility to make the most of them — whether it’s environmental stewardship or development.

They’d like to develop a community hub in Louisbourg called Oceans of Opportunity with the hopes of developing new businesses to improve the local economy. If they win the Now! Nova Scotia Good News Awards, that’s where they’ll focus the $20,000 prize.

“When we look at the strengths within our community, we have the Fortress, tourism, the fishing community and the strong historical connection,” says Mugridge. “How can we marry the ocean with all of these other sectors, and how can we benefit the community overall by having a space where we can collaborate?”

Fewer says a big part of the company’s future is tied to sharing their values, particularly sustainability and ocean health, on a global scale.

“The world is so connected now. There’s a guy in an alley in Shanghai who wants to know if my lobsters are MSC-certified, and he can just send me a text,” says Fewer. “It’s so woven and fast that it’s important, as a company, to stay on top of that.”

Marketing associate Jenna Lahey says Louisbourg Seafoods is “the kind of company that doesn’t turn its back on any opportunity.”

“Innovation is key and that’s something we do really well — not just for ourselves, but for the community, the global network, the health of our oceans and our planet.”